48 HORSE -RACING IN FRANCE 



50,000 francs (2,000/.) — at which it still remains — so 

 that in 1886 the French Derby was worth nearly 4,500/., 

 only about 200/. less than the old, rich English. It 

 must be acknowledged, then, on the whole, that the 

 French Jockey Club exercised a sound discretion in 

 restricting its ' prix ' to the competition of horses ' bred 

 in France ' only ; for though perhaps at the beginning 

 the ' prix ' would not have been attractive enough in 

 value to tempt the best English horses, yet inferior 

 English horses would have been quite good enough for 

 the purpose then, and either the French would have lost 

 their interest, through sheer disgust, in the sport forth- 

 with, or, as the 'prix' became more valuable and attracted 

 still better horses from England, the French would have 

 been similarly affected at a somewhat later period. Any- 

 how this fundamental difference remains between the 

 English Jockey Club and the French : that the latter 

 contril^utes, and from the first did contribute, as ' added 

 money ' a very considerable portion — if not the greater 

 part — of every one of the most valuable prizes in France, 

 whereas the former contributes, and always did con- 

 tribute, nothing at all to the most valuable prizes in 

 En<3-land ; and that the latter literally reared the infant 

 institution of the French Turf from a weakling to a 

 giant, whilst the former found the English Turf a full- 

 o-rown and flourishino; but somewhat wild and erratic 

 monster and promptly assumed the guidance of it. 



The fourteen ' foundation members ' of the French 

 Jockey Club (or of its first Race Committee), who have 

 been named and described, took to themselves, either 

 immediately or from time to time — or as they them- 

 selves dropped off had their places supplied by — men 

 who were more famous than they upon the French 

 Turf The Eace Committee came to consist of fifteen 



